| Regional mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity is forecast to remain as buoyant this year as 2014 despite the oil price drop as governments continue to spend, corporates focus on growth and international investor interest in the energy-rich region rises, M&A advisors say.
Sovereign wealth funds, which are mandated to invest the oil dollar surplus for future generations, will continue to be active, as they were in 2014. Last year saw sovereign wealth funds eyeing international investments, which helped outbound M&A activity rise 74 per cent to US$26bn, led by investments from Qatar. The Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, last year led a bid to acquire Songbird Estates, the owner of the Canary Wharf financial district in London for about $4bn. It was the biggest announced M&A deal in the Middle East last year...............................................Full Article: Source
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